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Replication Files for: The Political Determinants of Public Support for Obstruction of Supreme Court Nominees

Andrew R. Stone (arstone@olemiss.edu)
University of Mississippi

This version: April 2024, v. 1.0

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This repository contains the data and code necessary to replicate the analyses in the manuscript and online appendix except for individual-level surveys hosted on the Roper iPoll database that are used for a component of Analysis 2 (Table 2) and associated Appendix analyses (Tables D.3-D.8). Instructions for downloading the iPoll data and parsing the data into a format to be used for analysis are provided below.

The analysis was conducted in R (version 4.3.3) running on macOS Sonoma (version 14.4.1). 

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With a Roper iPoll account, one can access the individual-level survey data used in a component of Analysis 2 (Table 2) and associated Appendix analyses (Tables D.3-D.8). The file parse_ipoll_data.R takes the iPoll data and formats it, creating ipoll_individual_surveys.RData to be used in replication in replicate_analysis_2_main_text.R and replicate_analysis_2_appendix.R.

The DOI links to the iPoll page where the data can be downloaded are listed in parse_ipoll_data.R. They are also listed here. Follow the DOI link and navigate to the "Downloads" tab and download the SPSS version of the data file (.por).

CNN/ORC April 28, 2016 - May 1, 2016: https://doi.org/10.25940/ROPER-31095604
CNN/ORC March 17, 2016 - March 20, 2016: https://doi.org/10.25940/ROPER-31095603
Monmouth March 17, 2016 - March 20, 2016: https://doi.org/10.25940/ROPER-31113904
CNN/ORC February 24, 2016 - February 27, 2016: https://doi.org/10.25940/ROPER-31095602
CBS News/New York Times May 13, 2016 - May 17, 2016: https://doi.org/10.25940/ROPER-31091613
CBS News/New York Times March 17, 2016 - March 20, 2016: https://doi.org/10.25940/ROPER-31091612
CNN/ORC January 31, 2017 - February 2, 2017: https://doi.org/10.25940/ROPER-31102946
Gallup/CNN/USA Today November 1, 2005: https://doi.org/10.25940/ROPER-31088631
Gallup/CNN/USA Today January 20, 2006 - January 22, 2006: https://doi.org/10.25940/ROPER-31088639
CNN August 9, 2018 - August 12, 2018: https://doi.org/10.25940/ROPER-31115414
Hart-McInturff/NBC/WSJ September 9, 2005 - September 12, 2005: https://doi.org/10.25940/ROPER-31094844

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The following files are necessary to replicate the analyses in the article. 

*** Figure 1 ***

analysis_1_data.RData
replicate_analysis_1_main_text.R

*** Figure 2 ***
*** Table 2 ***

analysis_2_aggregate_data.RData
analysis_2_individual_surveys.RData
ipoll_individual_surveys.RData (not uploaded, user needs to download the iPoll data following the instructions above and run parse_ipoll_data.R to generate this file).
replicate_analysis_2_main_text.R

*** Figure 3 ***

experiment_data.RData
replicate_experiment_main_text.R

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The following files are necessary to replicate the analyses in the online appendix. 

*** Figures A.1-A.2 ***

senator_press_data.RData
broadcast_news_data.RData
replicate_popular_discussion_appendix.R

*** Tables B.1-B.2, C.1-C.6 ***
*** Figure B.1 ***

analysis_1_data.RData
replicate_analysis_1_appendix.R

*** Figures D.1-D.2 ***
*** Tables D.3-D.8 ***

analysis_2_aggregate_data.RData
analysis_2_individual_surveys.RData
ipoll_individual_surveys.RData (not uploaded, user needs to download the iPoll data following the instructions above and run parse_ipoll_data.R to generate this file).
replicate_analysis_2_appendix.R

*** Tables E.1-E.4 ***

experiment_data.RData
replicate_experiment_appendix.R

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The following R packages are necessary to replicate the analyses in the article and online appendix. 

ggplot2 (version 3.5.0); haven (2.5.4); lmtest (version 0.9-40); margins (version 0.3.26); sandwich (3.1-0); stargazer (version 5.2.3); tidyverse (version 2.0.0)

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The following variables are used in the analyses found in the paper and appendix.

*** analysis_1_data.RData ***

democrat: Indicator of whether the respondent is a Democrat (coding leaners as partisans).
republican: Indicator of whether the respondent is a Republican (coding leaners as partisans).
independent: Indicator of whether the respondent is an independent (coding leaners as partisans).
independents_including_leaners: Indicator of whether the respondent is an independent (coding leaners as independents).
democrat_no_leaners: Indicator of whether the respondent is a Democrat (coding leaners as independents).
republican_no_leaners: Indicator of whether the respondent is a Republican (coding leaners as independents). 
support_delay: Binary measure of respondent support for delayed consideration of the nomination.
knowledge_of_vacancy: Binary measure of respondent knowledge of the vacancy.
sc_approve: Binary measure of respondent support for the Supreme Court.
sc_approve_4pt: Four point measure of respondent support for the Supreme Court.
white: Indicator of whether the respondent is white.
age_numeric: Four point categorical variable of respondent age.
male: Indicator of whether the respondent is male.
education: Nine point categorical variable of respondent educational attainment.
vacancy: Deontes whether the observation came from a survey from the Scalia or Kennedy vacancy.
weights: Survey weights.
liberal: Indicator of whether the respondent is liberal.
conservative: Indicator of whether the respondent is conservative.
scalia_race: Respondent race used for descriptive purposes only for the Scalia survey (the Kennedy survey has different response options and is coded NA for this variable).
scalia_income: Respondent income used for descriptive purposes only for the Scalia survey (the Kennedy survey has different response options and is coded NA for this variable).
scalia_ideology: Respondent ideology used for descriptive purposes only for the Scalia survey (the Kennedy survey has different response options and is coded NA for this variable).
kennedy_race: Respondent race used for descriptive purposes only for the Kennedy survey (the Scalia survey has different response options and is coded NA for this variable).
kennedy_income: Respondent income used for descriptive purposes only for the Kennedy survey (the Scalia survey has different response options and is coded NA for this variable).
kennedy_ideology: Respondent ideology used for descriptive purposes only for the Kennedy survey (the Scalia survey has different response options and is coded NA for this variable).
party_aligned_with_president: Indicator of whether the respondent is a copartisan of the president at the time of the survey (coding leaners as partisans).
ideology_aligned_with_president: Indicator of whether the respondent's ideology aligns with the ideology of the president at the time of the survey.
party_aligned_with_president_true_partisans: Indicator of whether the respondent's partisanship aligns with the president at the time of the survey (coding leaners as independents).
outpartisan_of_president: Indicator of whether the respondent is an outpartisan of president at the time of the survey (coding leaners as partisans).
scalia_vacancy: Indicator of whether the observation came from the Scalia vacancy.

*** analysis_2_aggregate_data.RData ***

nominee: Court nominee at the time of the survey.
survey: Name of the survey.
intensity: Intensity of obstruction the survey question asked about.
individual_level_data: Indicator denoting whether the individual-level survey data is available.
copartisan_proportion_support: Proportion of respondents who are copartisans of the president who supported obstruction (of those who gave an opinion), determined from toplines.outpartisan_proportion_support: Proportion of respondents who are outpartisans of the president who supported obstruction (of those who gave an opinion), determined from toplines.
independent_proportion_support: Proportion of respondents who are independents who supported obstruction (of those who gave an opinion), determined from toplines.
copartisan_net_support: Net percentage of respondents who are copartisans of the president who supported obstruction (of those who gave an opinion), determined from toplines.
outpartisan_net_support: Net percentage of respondents who are outpartisans of the president who supported obstruction (of those who gave an opinion), determined from toplines.
independent_net_support: Net percentage of respondents who are independents who supported obstruction (of those who gave an opinion), determined from toplines.
copartisan_proportion_oppose_nominee: Proportion of respondents who are copartisans of the president who opposed the nominee (of those who gave an opinion), determined from toplines.
outpartisan_proportion_oppose_nominee: Proportion of respondents who are outpartisans of the president who opposed the nominee (of those who gave an opinion), determined from toplines.
independent_proportion_oppose_nominee: Proportion of respondents who are independents who opposed the nominee (of those who gave an opinion), determined from toplines.

*** analysis_2_individual_surveys.RData and ipoll_individual_surveys.RData (which is generated by downloading the iPoll data and running parse_ipoll_data.R as described above) ***

support_delay: Indicator of whether respondent supports obstruction of the nomination.
democrat: Indicator of whether respondent is a Democrat (coding leaners as partisans).
republican: Indicator of whether respondent is a Republican (coding leaners as partisans).
copartisan_of_president: Indicator of whether respondent is a copartisan of the nominating president (coding leaners as partisans).
want_the_nominee: Indicator of whether respondent supports the nominee being put on the Court.
positive_about_the_nominee: Indicator of whether respondent positively evaluates the nominee.
white: Indicator of whether the respondent is white.
male: Indicator of whether the respondent is male.
survey: Name of the survey.
nomination: Denotes the nomination context.
intensity: Intensity of obstruction the survey question asked about.
copartisan_of_president_leaners_as_independents: Indicator of whether respondent is a copartisan of the nominating president (coding leaners as independents).
outpartisan_of_president_leaners_as_independents: Indicator of whether respondent is an outpartisan of the nominating president (coding leaners as independents).
respondent_ID: Respondent ID variable.
outpartisan_of_president: Indicator of whether respondent is an outpartisan of the nominating president (coding leaners as partisans).
president: Denotes the nominating president.

***experiment_data.RData***

obstruction.binary.support: Binary measure of respondent support for the Senate's behavior in the experiment.
copartisan.president: Indicator denoting whether the respondent received a copartisan president in the treatment (coding leaners as partisans).
outpartisan.president: Indicator denoting whether the respondent received an outpartisan president in the treatment (coding leaners as partisans).
independent.president: Indicator denoting whether the respondent is an independent and thus did not see a copartisan or outpartisan president in the treatment (coding leaners as partisans).
obstruction.treatment.factor: Factor denoting which of the obstruction treatments the respondent received.
ObstructionSupport: Five point measure of respondent support for the Senate's behavior in the experiment.GenderIdentity: Gender of the respondent.
Race: Race of the respondent.
democrat: Indicator of whether the respondent is a Democrat (coding leaners as partisans).
republican: Indicator of whether the respondent is a Republican (coding leaners as partisans).
independent: Indicator of whether the respondent is an independent (coding leaners as partisans).
no.lean.democrat: Indicator of whether the respondent is a Democrat (coding leaners as independents).      no.lean.republican: Indicator of whether the respondent is a Republican (coding leaners as independents).           
no.lean.independent: Indicator of whether the respondent is an independent (coding leaners as independents).
Education: Education level of the respondent.
Income: Income of the respondent.
Ideology: Ideology of the respondent.
no.lean.copartisan.president: Indicator denoting whether the respondent received a copartisan president in the treatment (coding leaners as independents).no.lean.outpartisan.president: Indicator denoting whether the respondent received an outpartisan president in the treatment (coding leaners as independents).
no.lean.independent.president: Indicator denoting whether the respondent is an independent and thus did not see a copartisan or outpartisan president in the treatment (coding leaners as independents).
man: Indicator of whether the respondent is a man.
college_degree: Indicator of whether the respondent has a college degree.
income_over_75000: Indicator of whether the respondent has an income over $75,000.
white: Indicator of whether the respondent is white.                 knowledge4pt: Respondent knowledge of the Supreme Court (additive response to 4 questions).

***senator_press_data.RData***

senator: Name of senator who issued the press release.
nomination: The nomination the press release corresponds to. 
any.discussion: Indicator of whether the press release referenced procedure or obstruction (as determined by string searches).

***broadcast_news_data.RData***

network_source: Name of network the transcript comes from.
nomination: The nomination the news transcript corresponds to.
any.discussion: Indicator of whether the transcript referenced procedure or obstruction (as determined by string searches).
